Occassions

Prayers for all

Short prayers in a busy world...

Short prayers in a busy world...

The following prayers, readings and meditations have been found helpful
by Christians. Some of them were written thousands of years ago, yet they
speak as meaningfully today as when they were first written. They express
our feelings as we draw close to a God beyond time whose love never changes.

A Prayer for our church

Enable this church to do your will
Make it vulnerable that it may speak with calm humility;

Make it outward looking that it may care deeply
Make it a community of peacemakers and bridge builders
In the midst of turbulence let the church make space
for the hearing of your still small voice. Delia - a member of St. Mark's Church

Seeking Peace

Come now, turn aside for a while from your daily employment, escape
for a moment from the tumult of your thoughts. Put aside your weighty
cares, let your burdensome distractions wait, free yourself for a while
for God and rest awhile in him. Enter the inner chamber of your soul,
shut out everything except God and that which can help you in seeking
him, and when you have shut the door, seek him. Now, my soul, say to
God, 'I seek your face; Lord it is your face that I seek.' Amen.Anselm (1033-1109)

Let the peace of this place surround you as you pray. Let the hurry
and worry of life fall away from you. You are God's child he loves you
and cares for you. He is here with you now and always. Speak to him
thoughtfully and allow him time to speak to you. Lord, thou knowest how
busy I must be today. If I forget thee, do not Thou forget me Amen. Lord
Astley at the battle of Edgehill

A
Prayer for forgiveness

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
steadfast goodness; In your abundant mercy blot out my offences. Wash me
thoroughly from my sin. For I acknowledge my rebelliousness, And my sin
is always before me. Against you only have I sinned, And done what is
evil in your eyes. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be whiter than snow.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51 The Bible

Lord Jesus, you were called the friend of sinners, be my friend, for
I acknowledge that I have sinned. Forgive the wrong that I have done and
and the right that I have failed to do; my secret and my more open sins;
my sins of ignorance and my deliberate sins; sins to please myself and
sins to please others; the sins which I remember, and the sins which I
have forgotten; forgive all these, for it was for me also that you died.
My Lord and Saviour. Amen. John Wesley 1703 - 179

Prayers of thanksgiving to God

I praise you O Lord for all that I see of you in the work of
creation, the earth, the sea and sky and everything that has breath. You
are worthy to be praised and I know that your promises are true that now
I am only beginning to taste the glory that shall be revealed when you O
God take power and reign. Lord God I am surrounded by blessings and my
heart is full of thanksgiving for all that you have done for me. I know
that I am not worthy to be called your child and yet I give you thanks
that you love me and gave your only Son Jesus Christ who died for me.
Lord God I thank you for all of your faithfulness to me and others who
worship you in this place. I praise you that you are faithful good and
true and that you hate nothing that you have made. For your love and
kindness to me and to all your children I praise your name. Now may the
offering of my life and the words of my mouth be acceptable acts of
thanksgiving and praise to you. Lord Jesus Christ, fill me I pray with
your light that I may reflect your wondrous glory

Prayers for Church Unity

Lord Jesus you prayed that your people would be one, forgive us Lord
and take away the pride and arrogance which divides your church. Break
down the walls which separate us; unite us with your bonds of love and
accomplish your will. I pray that by the power of your Spirit your
healing would work in the body of your church and through me, to bring
about the purpose of your will

Prayers for when we are suffering or troubled

Lord, when I am feeling tired or strained, help me not to take it out
on other people. Amen.

Father, make us more like Jesus. Help us to bear difficulty, pain,
disappointment and sorrows, knowing that in your perfect working and
design you can use such bitter experiences to shape our characters and
make us more like our Lord. We look with hope for that day when we shall
be wholly like Christ, because we shall see him as he is. Amen.
St Ignatius, before his martyrdom in 107

Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares for you
1 Peter 5:7 The Bible

What does the Lord require of you but to do justly To love mercy and
to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:2 The Bible

This is my prayer to thee, my Lord;
Give me strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows;
Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service;
Give me the strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before
insolent might.
Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles.
And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.
Rabindranath Tagore 1861 - 1941

God of goodness, give me yourself. For you are sufficient for me
If I were to ask for anything less I should always be in want,
for in you alone do I have all.Julian of Norwich
(?1342 - after 1413)

O God, our true life, to know you is life, to serve you is perfect
freedom, to enjoy you is a kingdom, to praise you is the joy and
happiness of the soul. I praise and bless and adore you, I worship you,
I glorify you. I give thanks to you for your great glory. I humbly beg
you to live with me, to reign in me, to make this heart of mine a holy
temple, a fit habitation for your divine majesty.
St Augustine 354 -430

Prayers about our relationship with God

Teach us, god Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest; to give and not
to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not
to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of
knowing that we do thy will, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. St. Ignatius 1491 - 1556

Keep me O Lord, while I tarry on this earth, in a serious seeking
after you, and in an affectionate walking with you, every day of my
life; that when you come, I may be found not hiding my talent, nor
serving the flesh, nor yet asleep with my lamp unfurnished, but waiting
and longing for you. Richard Baxter 1615-1691

O sweet Saviour Christ, in your undeserved love for us you were
prepared to suffer the painful death of the cross:
let me not be cold or even lukewarm in my love for you.
Lord help me to face the truth about myself. Help me to hear my words as
others hear them,

To see my face as others see me; Let me be honest enough to recognise
my impatience and conceit;
Let me recognise my anger and selfishness;
Give me sufficient humility to accept my own weakness for what they are.
Give me the grace - at least in your presence - to say. 'I was wrong -
forgive me.'
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, increase in us faith and truth
and gentleness and grant us part and lot among the saints.
St. Polycarp 69-115

Glorious God, give me grace to amend my life and to have an eye to
mine end without grudge of death, which to them that die in thee, good
Lord, is the fate of a wealthy life. Give me, good Lord, a full faith, a
firm hope and a fervent charity, a love to thee incomparable above the
love to myself. Give me, good Lord, a longing to be with thee, not for
the avoiding of the calamities of this world, nor so much for the
attaining of the joys of heaven, as for the very love of thee.
Thomas More (1478 - 1535) (from a prayer written a
few days before his execution.)

O God our God, grant us grace to desire you with a whole heart, so
that desiring you we may seek and find you; and so finding you, may love
you; and loving you may hate those sins which separate us from you, for
the sake of Jesus Christ.St Anselm 1033-1109

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen Jesus - The Bible

Lord help me to recognise that.. The measure of a man is not
determined by his show of outward strength, Or the volume of his voice,
or the thunder of his action. It is to be seen, rather, in terms of the
strength of his commitments, The genuineness of his friendships, the
sincerity of his purpose, The quiet courage of his convictions, His
capacity to suffer, and his willingness to continue 'growing up'.
Grady Poulard

I ask Lord for daily bread, but not for wealth, lest I forget the
poor
I ask for strength, but not for power, lest I despise the meek
I ask for wisdom, but not for learning, lest I condemn the simple
I ask for a clean name, but not for fame, lest I condemn the lowly.
I ask for peace of mind, but not for idle hours, lest I fail to hearken
to the call of duty. Inazo Nitobe

O Lord give me the sincerity to accept the things I cannot change The
courage to change the things I can And the wisdom to know the
difference. Reinhold Niebuhr 1892 - 1971

O God who art the light of the minds that know thee, The life of the
souls that love thee, and the strength of the hearts that serve thee;
Help us to know thee that we may truly love thee; so to love thee that
we may fully serve thee, whom to serve is perfect freedom; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen. Gelasian Sacramentary

Prayers for those who mourn

Jesus said 'Come unto me all that are heavy laden and I will give you
rest'

Lord Jesus help me as I mourn, comfort me with the knowledge of your
love which is stronger than death. Enable me to trust you for the future
of my loved ones and myself. Help me to cast all of my care on you,
knowing that the grave holds no power over those who trust in you.

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not
weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in
the morning we will remember them. Laurence Binyon
1869 - 1943

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, 'Give me a light
that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into
the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to
you better than light and safer than a known way.' May that almighty
hand guide and uphold us all. Minnie Haskins 1875 -
1957

Lord my body and soul are in pain at the loss which I feel. I have
lost a dear friend and I feel desperate and alone. Give me the courage
to know that there can be no better place for any one of us than to be
beyond death, in the everlasting arms of the God who made us.

The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment shall
touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they appear to be dead; their
departure was reckoned as defeat, and their going from us as disaster.
But they are at peace, for though in the sight of men they may be
punished, they have a sure hope of immortality. Wisdom of Solomon

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth
my soul: he leadeth me the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23 The Bible

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no
feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which to look at Christ's
compassion to the world, yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good, and yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now.
St Teresa of Avila 1515-1582

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself,
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service,
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your soul,
May the blessing of God almighty the father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit be with you and remain with you and those you love this day and
evermore. Amen

Prayer - Meditation
Based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The Scriptures say “Love is patient.”
God, how can I be patient when I experience injustice?
God, teach me to patient without being silent or inactive.

The Scriptures say “Love is kind.”
God, how can I be kind as I confront what is evil?”
God, teach me to love my enemy.

The Scriptures say “Love is not jealous.”
God, how can I not be jealous
of those who have so much wealth or power or control?
God, teach me to keep my values straight.

The Scriptures say “Love is not pompous.”
God, how can I not be pompous when I am speaking truth
to those who seem so wrong?
God, teach me to know how to both speak and listen.

The Scriptures say “Love is not inflated.”
God, how can I not be inflated with righteousness in the cause of
justice?
God, teach me to know my limits, that I make mistakes
and that I don’t always see clearly.

The Scriptures say “Love is not rude.”
God, how can I be gracious but also committed to what is right?
God, teach me to respect all my sisters and brothers.

The Scriptures say “Love does not seek its own interests.”
God, how can I move beyond my own limits and desires and needs?
God, teach me to understand the needs and perspectives of others,
especially the poor.

The Scriptures say “Love is not quick-tempered.”
God, how can I learn from my anger?
God, teach me to learn from my strongest emotions.

The Scriptures say “Love does not brood over injury.”
God, how can I not get discouraged by all the hurts and injuries in our
world?
God, teach me to move forward and get into action for what is right.

The Scriptures say “Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.”
God, how can I stop thinking of what helps my side to win
and the other side to lose?
God, teach me to practice a love that wants the truth to win for all
people.

The Scriptures say “Love bears all things.”
God, how can I bear the stress of trying so hard to do what is right?
God, teach me to let go and to trust in your wisdom.

The Scriptures say “Love believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.”
God, how can I possibly love?
God, teach me that I don’t love alone,
But rather in community with you and with all my sisters and brothers.

The Scriptures say “love never fails.”
God, how is it that I sometimes feel failure? How can I believe?
God, teach me to love with a heart as big as the world
And to receive love and help with a big a heart.
Amen.

Prayers of entrusting and commending

Eternal light, shine into our hearts,
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,
Eternal Power, be our support,
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance,
Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us;
that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength
we may seek thy face
and be brought by thy infinite mercy to thy holy presence;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.Alcuin of York (735-804)

Into thy hands, O Father and Lord,
we commend our souls and bodies,
our parents and our homes, friends, neighbours and kindred,
our benefactors and brethren departed,
all folk rightly believing
and all who need thy pity and protection.
Light us with thy holy grace
and suffer us never to be separated from thee,
O Lord in Trinity, God everlasting.St. Edmund of Abingdon (1170-1240)

Prayers of trusting and self-offering
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.from St Patrick's Breastplate

Alone with none but thee, my God
I journey on my way.
What need I fear, when thou art near
O king of night and day?
More safe am I within thy hand
Than if an host didst round me stand.St Columba (c.521-597)

Well-known prayers
Thanks be to thee, O Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits which thou hast won for us,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for us.
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly
and follow thee more nearly
day by day.attributed to St Richard of Chichester (1253)

O Lord our heavenly Father,
almighty and everlasting God,
who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;
defend us in the same with thy mighty power;
and grant that this day we fall into no sin,
neither run into any kind of danger,
but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,
to do always that is righteous in thy sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.The Third Collect at Morning Prayer - The Book of Common Prayer

Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening
into the house and gate of heaven,
to enter into that gate and dwell in that house,
where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light;
no noise nor silence, but one equal music;
no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession;
no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity;
in the habitations of thy glory and dominion,
world without end.after John Donne (1571-1631)

Grant, Lord, that we may live in your fear,
die in your favour, rest in your peace,
rise in your power and reign in your glory;
for your own beloved Son's sake,
Jesus Christ our Lord.William Laud (1573-1645)

Remember, O Lord, what thou hast wrought in us
and not what we deserve;
and as thou hast called us to thy service,
make us worthy of our calling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Prayer Book as proposed in 1928

Dialogued Prayer on the Beatitudes

Based on Matthew’s version, Mt. 5:1-12

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Keep us from being preoccupied with money and worldly goods, and with trying
to increase them at the expense of justice.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."
Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord
and violence that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the
burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be
filled."
Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread
your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God."
Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and help us to fix our eyes on
you.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."
Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.

Lord Jesus, you said,
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice,
for the kingdom of heaven in theirs."
Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice
injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbours and oppress
and persecute them. AMEN

ThisisChurch.com acknowledges the following websites which you may also find helpful in considering the lectionary this week:- www.bbc.co.uk/religion, www.textweek.com, www.lectionary.org, www.gbod.org/worship, www.methodist.org.uk, www.churchtimes.co.uk, http://www.cofe.anglican.org